Calgary Association of Skateboarding Enthusiasts and Canada Skateboard to present this Thursday about the Olympic opportunity within skateboarding.

“Skateboarding’s got an inclusive subculture and our 2011 amenities strategy has been a huge success,” says Zev Klymochko, founder of CASE. “with over 35,000 skateboarders in Calgary, there continues to be a growing need and we’d like to see skateboard parks in every quadrant of the city.”

The skateboard industry has traditionally thrived on grassroots marketing and a direct connection to skaters. For the first time in 2020 skateboarding will appear in the Tokyo Olympics. The added exposure is measure to say at this point – but if you take a look at snowboarding – it’s clear the impact it’s had on culture.

Their presentation takes place this Thursday Nov 15 from 7-9pm, and is hosted at The Compound, an indoor skateboard park located at 840 – 26 Ave SE.

Canada Skateboard is the national sport organization for skateboarding in Canada, with a mission is to support, promote and grow skateboarding. CASE supports and advocates for skateboarding in Calgary and there are rumblings about developing a world class indoor facility.

“We are planning additional skateboard parks in Calgary as well as recruiting new board members, this is a great opportunity to get informed,” says Klymochko, “as well as discussing the future if skateboarding now that it will be an Olympic Sport in Tokyo in 2020.

Skateboarding? Did someone say skateboarding? There will be an indoor skateboarding session afterwards for $10 offered by The Compound.

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Representatives from Canada Skateboard are hosting an information session on November 15 at 7pm at The Compound. Canada Skateboard is the official national federation for skateboarding in Canada. Come out and learn more about their plans for growing skateboarding in Canada.

It’s open to all and free to attend. We encourage you to skate at The Compound while you’re there. Normal drop-in rates will apply.

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Some of you remember Tamara Jones (nee Drybrough). Maybe you’ve seen her recently skating at one of our local parks or seen her clips online. I definitely remember when she showed up at Millz one day and switch frontside flipped into Millz Mountain. Or backside flipped a decent-sized trash can at one of the mobile skateparks. She was this “random ripper” from somewhere in BC. Then it seemed like all of a sudden she vanished. No one saw her skating and a lot of people wondered, “What happened?”. Turns out she got married and became a mom, twice over. Tamara is back and ripping harder than ever. Her goal is to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and skate for Team Canada in 2020. She’s on her way to Montreal for Am Getting Paid (an Olympic qualifying event) this weekend so cheer her on. Follow her progress through her Facebook page: Tamara’s Road to the Olympics. This is a quick conversation I had with her.
–Zev Klymochko, CASE Co-chair

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Port Coquitlam but moved around between BC and Alberta.

How did you get into skating?
Some kids on my street were skating and I decided to give it a shot. I found my first board at a garage sale– it was a plastic banana board.

How long have you been skating for?Eight years total. I skated from 13-20 then started again at 27.

I’m pretty sure you aren’t from Calgary, so what brought you here?
A change of scenery, the Vancouver rain got depressing. I also had family out here and met my husband so it was hard to leave.

Did you have any sponsors?
Yes, I did as a teenager. Etnies, Momentum wheels, Underworld Skateshop, and Red Bull.

Did you stop skating for a while? How long?
I stopped for about eight years. I got married to the love of my life and we have two awesome boys!

What brought you back into skating?
My homie, Rose. She made me realize how much i was missing out with skateboarding. My kids were getting a bit older so I felt it was time to focus on myself as well.

When did you decide you wanted to go to the 2020 Olympics
After a few conversations with Rose and a few sessions back on my board, I fell in love with skateboarding again and I’ve always wanted to compete in the biggest and the best contests out there. Nothing’s changed– the drive is still in me.

Who do you skate with?
Local Calgary homies , my husband, my brother, and my kids.

What’s next for you?
I’m headed to Montreal on September 27th for a contest called Am Getting Paid. This is the first Olympic qualifier for womens street.

Any shout outs?
Shout out to all my supports. My mom for being the biggest help with my kids. My husband and the rest of my family for the continuous support. For people like Zev, for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to get my name out in the skate world again. My old skate homies who constantly check in on me and continue to support me. My mom’s friends, the Town of Strathmore, and Daniel Kneeshaw at Vans for having my back!

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We recently launched our CLASS pilot project, with the goal of keeping our parks tidy. We’ve put some shovels, brooms, trash bags, gloves, and a squeegee in a locked steel box at Huntington Hills skatepark. Two volunteers (Pat and Marlene) will hold the keys and be the “caretakers” of the park. Hopefully they will inspire others to do the same and help out.